Method of Forming Rings from Beading Wire Using Grooved Ring Forming Mandrel

ABSTRACT

A graduated polymeric ring forming mandrel and a method of forming a ring from beading wire are provided. The mandrel has a plurality of longitudinal grooves and a plurality of segments with diameters corresponding to ring sizes. The segments correspond to at least ring sizes 4 through 16 (North American sizing). The mandrel length is about 6 to 15 inches. The grooves are at least about 0.010 inches deep. The mandrel material is selected from an engineering resin or a compatible resin mixture. The ring forming method includes wrapping wire with beads/findings around a mandrel segment producing a helical preform, adding findings to each succeeding wrap, and stabilizing the appearance by joining the ends by knotting or use of a finding, moving the preform to another mandrel section with grooving or a smaller diameter, and either applying a finding or toroidally wrapping additional wire around the wire.

CLAIM FOR PRIORITY

This Non-Provisional patent application is based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/380,350, filed on Aug. 26, 2016, the priority of which is claimed, and the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Beaders form a wide variety of decorative articles from beads, beading wire and findings—the various items of associated hardware used to complete these articles. Necklaces, bracelets and earrings are particularly popular with beaders. Although many methods are known of forming rings using conventional wires which easily take a permanent set using conventional ring sizing mandrels, many beaders however have complained about the difficulty of forming rings to be worn on the fingers using beads and beading wire. In particular, they have expressed concerns about the difficulty of properly sizing rings and fixing the wire in place at the proper size. This invention provides an apparatus and method for forming rings which enables beaders to easily form rings of the desired size and ensure that these articles will remain properly sized during the entire process of crafting them while using highly resilient beading wire. For use in crafting beads using the procedure of the present invention, we provide a polymeric ring forming mandrel, preferably longitudinally grooved, which superficially resembles the well-known ring sizing fixture but differs from it in two critical regards: rather than having a continuously varying diameter marked with various ring sizes thereupon, our polymeric ring forming mandrel provides a plurality of ring forming cylinders, graduated in full ring sizes of sufficient length that a ring can be formed upon them easily, and further is preferably provided with a plurality of longitudinal grooves making it possible for the beader to easily wrap coils of beading wire with a retaining wire to prevent the coils of beading wire from spontaneously uncoiling. While it is known to provide a conventional ring sizing fixture with one groove to accommodate a stone or setting, the single groove conventionally used detracts from its usability in applications where wires are hammered upon the ring forming fixture.

In the present invention, a ring can be formed by deploying a plurality of beads on a length of beading wire, wrapping wire having a plurality of beads and/or findings deployed thereupon around the mandrel until the desired aesthetic design is achieved, then joining the ends of the beading wire to each other using any convenient conventional method. Thereafter, a wire or other fixture is placed toroidally around the previously formed helical coils to fix them in place. In conventional jewelry making, it is known to form a ring from malleable conventional jewelry making wire of the type that easily requires permanent set by hammering malleable jewelry forming wire around a conventional ring sizing cylinder. A graduated ring sizing cylinder manufactured from aluminum for use in the conventional ring making procedure is known from https://www.etsy.com/listing/98746503/ring-mandrel-stepped-aluminum-size-4-to?ref=market. This ring mandrel lacks longitudinal grooves inhibiting the easy use of findings to restrain the coils of beading wire while there is also no suggestion to use it for making rings from highly resilient beading wire. The fact that this ring mandrel is comprised of aluminum makes it economically unviable as a product for use in the beading community where low-cost products are of utmost importance.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention are described in the detailed description below and in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described in detail below with reference to the appended drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts. In the Figures:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a ring forming mandrel of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are isometric perspectives of the ring forming mandrel of the present invention, FIG. 2 being viewed from the maximum diameter end of the mandrel and FIG. 3 being viewed from the other.

FIG. 4 is an end on, or plan, view of the ring forming mandrel of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an isometric perspective of a helical length of beading wire having beads and findings deployed thereupon wrapped around a section of a ring forming mandrel of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an isometric perspective of a helical length of beading wire wrapped around a section of a ring forming mandrel of the present invention where the mandrel is represented in wire framework format.

FIGS. 7-10 are schematic isometric perspectives of rings in the process of formation on a ring forming mandrel of the present invention, FIG. 7 being an isometric perspective of a helical length of beading wire after removal from a section of a ring forming mandrel of the present invention, FIG. 8 being an isometric perspective of the helical length of beading wire of FIG. 7 after the helix has been removed, compressed longitudinally and fitted with jump rings to constrain the helix, FIG. 9 being an isometric perspective of the helical length of beading wire of FIG. 8 wherein the jump rings have been flattened, and FIG. 10 being an isometric perspective of the helical length of beading wire of FIG. 7, wherein toroidal wraps of wire, either conventional or beading, have been wrapped around the helical beading wire preform for the ring.

FIG. 11 is an end on, or plan, view of the grooved ring forming mandrel of the present invention.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are isometric perspectives of the grooved ring forming mandrel of the present invention, FIG. 12 being viewed from the minimum diameter end of the mandrel and FIG. 13 being viewed from the other.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are isometric perspectives of an ungrooved ring forming mandrel of the present invention being drawn to scale.

FIGS. 16-21 are dimensioned drawings of the ring forming mandrel of the present invention, FIGS. 16-18 being respectively a drawing presenting the length of each section of the grooved ring forming mandrel, a drawing presenting the diameter of each section of the grooved ring forming mandrel and FIG. 18 being an end on plan view of the grooved ring forming mandrel the present invention while FIGS. 19-21 are respectively the corresponding drawings for the ungrooved mandrel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The invention is described in detail below with reference to several embodiments. Such discussion is for purposes of illustration only. Modifications to particular examples within the spirit and scope of the present invention, set forth in the appended claims, will be readily apparent to one of skill in the art. Terminology used herein is given its ordinary meaning consistent with the exemplary definitions set forth immediately below.

With respect to the various ranges set forth herein, any upper limit recited may, of course, be combined with any lower limit for selected sub-ranges.

In FIGS. 1-4, ring forming mandrel 20 has 14 cylindrical segments 22 defined thereupon, each cylindrical segment 22 having a uniform diameter corresponding to a conventional ring size. Each cylindrical segment 22 has a length which is sufficient to allow a beader to wind numerous lengths of beading wire 24, usually having beads 26 and/or findings 28 deployed thereupon around that cylindrical segment 22 while maintaining a predetermined size. While lengths of even as short as one quarter inch may be used, we prefer to provide cylindrical segments 22 having a length of at least about half an inch, more preferably at least about three quarters of an inch, still more preferably at least about 8/10 of an inch, and most preferably at least about 9/10 of an inch. There is no hard limit on the maximum length for each cylindrical segment but we prefer to limit the length of each segment to less than an inch and three quarters, more preferably to less than an inch and a half, still more preferably to less than an inch and a quarter to make it possible to incorporate cylindrical segments 22 corresponding to all ring sizes likely to be encountered or desired in normal use while keeping the overall length of the ring forming mandrel within practical limits, particularly as this item 20 might be carried around in a beading bag or other convenient storage/transportation apparatus. We prefer to provide a mandrel 20 having 14 cylindrical segments 22 ranging in size from US ring size 4 (0.586″ in diameter) up to just a little over US ring size 16, which is 0.97″ in diameter. In particular, we prefer to provide a largest cylindrical segment 22 having a diameter of just under 1 inch at 0.993″ with each cylindrical segment 22 having a length of approximately 0.8 to 1.1 inches in length, thereby keeping the overall length down to less than 16 inches while providing sufficient length for easy crafting of the ring. Table 1 sets forth the diameter of each cylindrical segment 22, with these diameters being based upon the integral ring sizes under the US system. In some cases, it might be advantageous to use sizes of 4½, 5½, 6½ . . . rather than, or in addition to, sizes of 4, 5, 6, 7 . . . . Formulas for calculating circumference and diameter for any given ring size are included below Table 1.

TABLE 1 Ring Dimensions Inside diameter Inside circumference US Size (in) (mm) (in) (mm) 4 0.586 14.88 1.84 46.8 5 0.618 15.7 1.94 49.3 6 0.65 16.51 2.04 51.9 7 0.682 17.32 2.14 54.4 8 0.714 18.14 2.24 57 9 0.746 18.95 2.34 59.5 10 0.778 19.76 2.44 62.1 11 0.81 20.57 2.54 64.6 12 0.842 21.39 2.65 67.2 13 0.874 22.2 2.75 69.7 14 0.906 23.01 2.85 72.3 15 0.938 23.83 2.95 74.8 16 0.97 24.64 3.05 77.4 0.993 25.2 3.12 79.2 Ring inside circumference = 36.5 mm + 2.55 mm × ring size Ring diameter = 11.63 mm + 0.8128 mm × ring size.

In use, the beader will wrap a length of beading wire 24 with beads 26 and/or findings 28 deployed thereupon around the chosen cylindrical segment 22 of the mandrel 20 leaving small tails 30 projecting therefrom and then will add other beads 26 and/or findings 28 to each succeeding wrap of beading wire 24 making it possible for the beader to easily visualize and compose the desired aesthetic effect. After the desired aesthetic effect been achieved, the helical wire 24 can be considered a preform 34 for a ring and may either be stabilized by: (1) bringing the ends 30 of the helix into close proximity and joining them either by knotting or use of an appropriate finding 28 such as a crimp tube, or (2) moving the helical preform to a cylindrical segment 22 of the ring forming mandrel 20 having a lesser diameter and constraining the wire preform 34 by: (a) applying an appropriate finding 28 around the wire 24, and/or (b) wrapping the wire preform 34 with additional wire, either over the length of the preform, or just in selected sections. In some cases, each succeeding wrap of beading wire will be applied rather loosely leaving just enough room between the nascent ring and mandrel that a helical or toroidal wrap may be applied around the circumferential wires to maintain the desired size and shape. In other cases, findings 28 may be applied to bind the circumferential wires together.

The ring forming mandrel 20 of the present invention consists essentially of an engineering resin chosen from the group consisting of: acrylonitrile butadiene styrene; nylon 6; nylon 6-6; polyamides; polybutylene terephthalate; polycarbonates; polyetheretherketone; polyethylene terephthalate; polyimides; polyoxymethylene; acetal; polyphenylene sulfide; polyphenylene oxide; polysulphone; polytetrafluoroethylene; polyvinyl chloride; ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene and compatible admixtures thereof.

FIG. 5 illustrates section of beading wire 24 helically coiled around cylindrical segment 22 of a grooved ring forming mandrel 20G of the present invention. It can be observed that longitudinal grooves 36 and 38 are provided to facilitate toroidal wraps of confining wire 48 around helical coils of preform 34 having beads 26 and findings 28 deployed thereupon.

FIG. 6 is an alternative representation of FIG. 5 in which cylindrical segment 22 of grooved ring forming mandrel 20G is presented in wire form so that the wrapping can be more easily visualized.

FIG. 7 is a representation of the helical coils of preform 34 without the mandrel 20. In FIG. 8, bands 40 have been placed through grooves 36 and 38 around helical coils of preform 34, while in FIG. 9, bands 40 have been flattened to fix helical coils of preform 34 in place. In this case, helical coils of preform 34 are comprised of highly resilient flexible beading wire 24 while bands 40 are comprised of malleable jewelry wire which easily acquires a permanent set to hold helical coils of preform 34 in place. In FIG. 10, helical coils of preform 34 have been toroidally wrapped with confining wire 48 which may be comprised either of jewelry wire or of beading wire. In the case of beading wire 24, ends 30 will preferably be joined to each other using a crimp tube covered by a crimp tube cover bead as is conventionally known or more preferably will be joined to each other using a crimping bead as disclosed in co-pending US application Publication No. 2014/0310919 A1 to Gupta, entitled: CRIMPING BEAD WITH PLUNGER, filed Jan. 16, 2014 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,631,698 on Apr. 25, 2017. In any case, the join will be formed externally to the helix formed by helical coils of preform 34 of beading wire. When beading wire 24 is used to confine helical coils of preform 34, a flexibility of shape is obtained.

In FIG. 11, a plan, end on view, of the grooved ring forming mandrel 20G of the present invention is presented in which it can be observed that each cylindrical segment 22 has grooves 36 and 38 inwardly displaced radially from the circumference of its corresponding cylindrical segment 22. Similarly in FIGS. 12 and 13, the structure of the grooved ring forming mandrel 20G of the present invention is presented with the difference between the diameters of adjacent cylindrical segment 22 greatly exaggerated for clarity. For comparison, FIGS. 14 and 15 are provided drawn to scale. FIGS. 16-21 show the dimensions of the grooved 20G and ungrooved mandrels 20 in detail.

While the invention has been described in detail, modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. In view of the foregoing discussion, relevant knowledge in the art and references discussed above in connection with the Background and Detailed Description, the disclosures of which are all incorporated herein by reference, further description is deemed unnecessary. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the invention and portions of various embodiments may be combined or interchanged either in whole or in part. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the invention. 

As our invention, we claim:
 1. A method of forming a ring from beading wire comprising the steps of: a.) providing a graduated polymeric ring forming mandrel having a plurality of longitudinal grooves provided therein, said ring forming mandrel having a plurality of cylindrical segments corresponding to a plurality of ring sizes; b.) wrapping a length of beading wire with beads and/or findings deployed thereupon around a chosen cylindrical segment of the mandrel leaving a small tail projecting therefrom at each end to form a helical preform; c.) adding beads and/or findings to each succeeding wrap of beading wire until desired appearance has been achieved; and d.) stabilizing the desired appearance of the ring by at least one stabilization step chosen from the group consisting of: (1) bringing the ends of the helical preform into close proximity and joining them either by knotting or use of an appropriate finding such as a crimp tube, and (2) moving the helical preform to a section of the ring forming mandrel having spacing to accept toroidal wraps of beading wire, said spacing being provided either by grooving or movement to a cylindrical segment with lesser diameter, and thereafter constraining the helical preform wire in place by: (a) applying an appropriate finding around the preform wire, and/or (b) toroidally wrapping at least a portion of the preform wire with additional wire.
 2. A graduated polymeric ring forming mandrel having a plurality of longitudinal grooves provided therein, said ring forming mandrel having a plurality of cylindrical segments having a diameter corresponding to a plurality of ring sizes, said cylindrical segments including at least ring sizes 4 through 16 (North American sizing) and said ring forming mandrel having a length of from about 6 to about 15 inches, said grooves having a depth of at least about 0.010 inches, said polymeric ring forming mandrel consisting essentially of an engineering resin chosen from the group consisting of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene; nylon 6; nylon 6-6; polyamides; polybutylene terephthalate; polycarbonates; polyetheretherketone; polyethylene terephthalate; polyimides; polyoxymethylene; acetal; polyphenylene sulfide; polyphenylene oxide; polysulphone; polytetrafluoroethylene; polyvinyl chloride; ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene and compatible admixtures thereof.
 3. A graduated polymeric ring forming mandrel having a plurality of cylindrical segments having a diameter corresponding to a plurality of ring sizes, said cylindrical segments including at least ring sizes 4 through 16 (North American sizing) and said ring forming mandrel having an overall length of about 6 to 15 about inches, said polymeric ring forming mandrel consisting essentially of an engineering resin chosen from the group consisting of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene; nylon 6; nylon 6-6; polyamides; polybutylene terephthalate; polycarbonates; polyetheretherketone; polyethylene terephthalate; polyimides; polyoxymethylene; acetal; polyphenylene sulfide; polyphenylene oxide; polysulphone; polytetrafluoroethylene; polyvinyl chloride; ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene and compatible admixtures thereof. 